1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a food product that maintains a flame. In one embodiment of the invention, the food product is meltable. More particularly, the present invention relates to an edible candle. Still more particularly, this invention relates to the making, fabricating, or producing of a product or substance out of strictly edible materials to serve as a candle with edible properties. In another embodiment, the invention relates to a non-string wick, which can be used in either an edible candle or a non-edible candle or serve as an edible or non-edible candle itself.
2. Background Information
A candle is defined as a light or torch, a cylindrical body of tallow, wax, spermaceti, or other fatty material formed on a wick composed of linen or cotton threads woven, or twisted loosely, and used for a portable light, and anything like a candle in form and use. A "candle" used herein shall be used as such and shall include all other products including sparklers and flares when used in a manner as a candle.
It is customary to decorate cakes, e.g., birthday cakes, pies, cup cakes, cookies, ice cream or other food or non-food products herein called "substrates", at festive occasions such as birthday parties, anniversary parties, graduation parties, weddings, retirement parties and holidays with candles. A typical candle is made entirely of a wick and wax fuel. The function of the wick in a candle is to deliver by capillary action fine streams of a burnable fuel, e.g., wax. The wax that isn't wicked to the flame and burned, however, drips on the cake and the like, which renders a portion of the cake inedible and creates an unpleasant appearance on the surface of the cake. Moreover, children frequently try to eat candles despite their "inedible" nature.
Stated otherwise, birthday candles, candles, sparklers or products of similar nature can create drippings or residue which do not add residual value to the substrate product and usually detract from it, often requiring the removal and/or disposal of the candle and/or residue, and/or the substrate material as well.
A typical candle is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,958,462. U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,731 mentions edible waxes.
It would be desirable to have an edible candle that would drip an edible food product on cakes and the like, and which would be decorative. Furthermore, it would be desirable to have a candle which could be eaten (as a candy, for example) after being partially melted.